


Partners In Crime *ON HIATUS*

by Nerd_Of_Stuff_2



Series: Partners In Crime AU [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, And you bet I'm putting on Disney, Angry doggo, Anxiety Attacks, Because Fuck It, Criminal AU, Cursing from Joan, Dog Patton, Flashbacks, Guns, Logince - Freeform, M/M, Mention of blood, Minor Injuries, Movie Night, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other people being intimidating, Roman hates blood, Roman is also very emotional, Roman's just trying to make friends bro, They break each other's arms that's what, Virgil and Logan kinda hate each other, Virgil being intimidating, Virgil's too polite to swear, What happens when two grown men fight each other?, Who's got Patton?, You bet I'm sticking these two together, and is also a wimp, lol, oh no, pretty much everyone curses in this though, remile - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-01-04 08:30:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18339944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerd_Of_Stuff_2/pseuds/Nerd_Of_Stuff_2
Summary: Virgil is the newbie in Sanderson Police Department, so he's in for a big surprise when his first case is the infamous Logince, a pair of lovers who also happen to be the city's most wanted criminals.(Also thanks to @jung_namgi on Instagram for telling me that standing over a dead body with police sirens is actually romantic)





	1. The Break In

**Author's Note:**

> Having trouble with the Supernatural Sides AU, so what better way to combat that then create a whole new AU?  
> Perfect! :D

A lone figure stood behind the till, pulling out a key before slotting it into the lock and turning it until it gave out a satisfying **click**. Slipping it into his back pocket, he hummed a tune as he made his way to the front door, saying goodbye to the remaining animals that were still awake.

"Night guys, gals and creatures of... other... genders- Goodnight, Patton!"

The man gasped when the Papillon bounded towards him, yapping all the way. He rubbed Patton behind his ears.

"Who's a good boy? You're a good boy! Now, bed." He cooed before pointing towards the corner of the store, where a blue and yellow dog bed lay. Patton sped over and settled down, eyes already drooping in fatigue. The man smiled lovingly before being distracted by the vibrating of his phone. He furrowed his eyebrows, but relaxed when he saw the contact name. Swiping, he put the phone up to his ear.

"Hey Babe, what's up?"

“ _Are you coming home soon? I’m getting lonely._ ”

“Relax, Emile, I just closed up. The voice on the other side of the phone signed in relief at his words. Locking the door to the shop, the male turned and began walking down the street, thankful to finally be outside after being cooped up all day.

“I’ll be home in ten.”

“ _Good. How’s Patton?_ ”

“He’s doing well, doc. Ever since his cast came off, he’s been the bouncy little puppo he was before!”

“ _For the last time, I’m not a doctor-_ ”

“Then how come you’re so good at making me feel better, hm?”

Silence.

" _... Touché._ "

They chatted for a period, Emile mentioning that there was a new recruit to the police department, until he suddenly stopped. The man stopped walking.

"Emile?"

" _How much money did you take with you?_ "

Visibly relaxing, he leaned against the nearest lamppost.

"I only took half, Babe. Chill."

Incoherent muttering followed through the speaker and he started walking again.

" _You know how dangerous it is to carry money with you these days; especially if I'm not with you-_ "

However, the man interrupted him.

"Oh my God, you're not my mum. Besides, I can protect myself. Just because guns are illegal, doesn't mean I can't carry something just as effective."

Emile sighed.

" _I guess you're right._ "

"No. I am right. Now I'm gonna hang up because my phone's almost dead. Bye!"

" _Wai-_ " Too late. He hung up before sticking his phone in his jacket-

"Wait, wha- ah shit... Guess I gotta go back now." He realised he'd forgotten his jacket and switched direction immediately, sending a quick text to Emile.

 

 

> ' _ Forgot my coat and I'm going back to get it~  _'

It was only a couple of seconds until he got a reply.

 

 

> ' _ K babe. Keep me updated x  _'

He made steady progress, retracing his steps.

~

The shop was almost in sight. But his smile dropped when he heard smashing of glass coming from the same direction. His pace increased until he was practically running, turning the last corner to see broken glass across the street with several animals staring, wide-eyed, from the other side of the window.

“Oh my God…” he gasped, pulling out his phone once more and dialling a familiar number. It ringed a once before Emile picked up, amusement in his voice.

“ _Babe, I thought your phone was almost dead?_ ”

“It’s them. They were here and they’ve broken into the shop.” he unlocked the door with shaky hands and raced to the till, already noticing it open with no money in sight.

“ _The money’s gone?_ ”

“Y- Yeah. And my jacket.” he replied, remembering his jacket was on the stool next to the till when he left.

“ _Calm down, remember; deep breathes._ ”

“No, Emile, I will not calm down! We need to call the police, we need to-”

He paced, but went silent when his eyes fell on the animals.

“ _Babe? Remy, what is it?_ ”

“They took Patton.”


	2. A New Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for a shorter chapter, I don't know what I'm doing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah most of Thomas' friends will be part of the police, deal with it-

“Name?”

The 19 year old was fidgeting with his coat sleeves so much that he almost didn’t hear the receptionist’s question.

“Huh? Oh, uh, Virgil. Virgil Wayland.”

She typed rapidly, the clicking of her nails triggering his anxiety. He bit his lip, scenario after scenario playing through his head, all ending badly.

Was he supposed to come in today?

What if his first day was tomorrow?

What if he hadn’t actually got the job and never noticed the email?

What if-

“Ok Virgil, you’re all set. Welcome to Sanderson Police Department.” The woman got up from her chair and held out her hand. “I’m Valerie; nice to meet you!”

Virgil blinked before returning the gesture, stuttering over his own tongue.

“Well, uh, I’m Virgil… But y-you already knew that, heh…”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, Valerie giggling at his antics.

“S-sorry, I’m a bit nervous.”

The receptionist handed him his ID, Virgil giving a grateful look in response.

“Relax, Virgil, you’ll be great! Are you joining the officers?”

Virgil almost choked in shock. Him? A police officer?

“Uh, no, actually. I’ll be becoming a police detective.”

There was a flash of surprise on Valerie’s face, but it quickly dissolved into a thoughtful expression.

“So you’ll be working with Picani then… Well, his office is down the hall, but you’ll need to talk to Joan; they’re head of the building.” Valerie explained while settling back down in her swivel chair, back to the cheerful look she was wearing when he came in. Virgil risked a glace around him, and made eye contact with someone. That someone then made their way over to him.

“Hey there! You must be Virgil, right? I’m Joan, the one in charge of running this place.” Joan patted his back reassuringly, their dark hair messy and unkempt, like they’d only woken up three minutes ago. Virgil could relate.

They shook hands and Joan guided him to their office, just around the corner from the reception.They sat across from each other, and almost immediately Joan pulled out an orange beanie from their desk and slipped it on their head. They caught the questioning look Virgil was giving them.

“It’s my favourite beanie, but no one will let me wear it during work, so please don’t tell anyone.” Virgil laughed behind his hand while Joan just shrugged before continuing.

“So, let’s chat.”

~

It was getting late into the afternoon, and the two had bonded over several subjects including bands, TV shows and their beanies (Virgil has a black one at home). It was after Joan had given Virgil a lecture on how to properly play Injustice 2 that a newcomer burst into the room, startling everyone. Joan immediately stood up and addressed them.

“Terrence? What is it?”

“It’s a call. From the pet shop. They’ve had a break in.” The man, Terrence, panted in short bursts. Both glanced at Virgil, who’d slowly started to shrink into his seat, hoping to meld with it.

“Looks like you got your first case, Virgil.”

He could only stand up stiffly and nod while quietly muttering.

“Oh boy… What have I gotten myself into?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Virgil Wayland? More like Virgil GAYland, amiright?"
> 
> ~ Roman, probably


	3. Searching For Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil puts his emo brain to the test
> 
> (And gets a crush on Remy-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took longer! After the short one I gave you before I wanted to make up for it with a biiiiiig chunk of story, so here you go-
> 
> (I also don't know why I'm posting it at half 1 in the morning forgive me pls)

The three of them hopped into a car, Terrence driving with Joan next to him, and Virgil in the back.

It was past 8pm when Joan, Terrence and Virgil parked up next to the Pet Shop, and their eyes widened at the chaos.

Police tape encircled the entire pavement outside, broken glass littering the floor like confetti at a parade. The front window was completely gone, and among the various other officers, there were two figures chasing after the few animals who had escaped the shop. However, they stopped when they noticed the other group approaching.

Both were male; one wearing a beige cardigan and pink tie, the other wearing a white t-shirt and a pair of shades.

“Hey guys,” the one dubbed ‘shades’ greeted, shaking Joan and Terrence’s hands in turn, “wish we could have met up with... better circumstances.”

Virgil’s mind grinded to a halt. Holy fuck this guy is cute!

It wasn’t until he saw four pairs of eyes staring at him that he realised that ‘shades’ was talking to him.

“I- uh, what?”

‘Shades’ giggled behind his hand. “I said, you must be the greenie, right?”

Virgil laughed awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. I’m Virgil.”

“I’m Remy, and this” he pointed to the man next to him “is my husband Emile. He’s also a police detective and your mentor!”

Virgil’s heart dropped.

The cute ones are always taken, aren’t they?

He couldn’t tell if Remy had noticed his change in expression, but if he did, he didn’t mention it. Remy slid an arm around his shoulder and dragged the confused junior detective towards the building in a hurry, not waiting for anyone else to catch up with them.

“Say… How old are you?”

“19. Why do you ask?”

“You’re pretty young to be joining any kind of police department, aren’t you?”

Virgil could only shrug. “I dunno dude.”

They stopped once they got to the front door, Remy putting one hand on each shoulder and forcing Virgil to face him. His face was serious and his voice stern.

“Look; you seem like a smart kid, so use that brain and figure out who broke into our shop and stole my love’s dog. None of the brains in Sanderson has managed to get a way to identify who Logince is, so maybe what this city needs is a new mind.”

“Ok… but can I ask one question?”

“Shoot.”

“Was that a Maze Runner reference earlier?”

Remy only ruffled Virgil’s purple hair with one hand, grinning; the recipient let out a playful scowl.

“I believe in you to find Patton.”

The adult then left, skipping over to where Emile and Joan were chatting while Terrence occasionally jotted something down in his notebook. Everyone took notice of Remy approaching and said their farewells to Emile, who went back to cooing over the animals that had to be taken outside.

Joan, Terrence and Virgil headed in without a word, taking in the chaos that they didn’t notice from outside.

Apart from the smashed window, there was a stepladder laying on it’s side, like it had been knocked over, as well as display shelves and a stool. A vent cover was also on the floor, taken off of it’s place on the ceiling by the thieves.

Joan was the one who broke the silence.

“Shit, looks like a fight broke out here.” they started, ducking behind the counter. “Well gang, let’s split up and search for clues!”

Virgil suppressed a laugh while Terrence just sighed. “I’ll be in the back.”

That left Virgil alone in the main part of the shop.

“Better get to work…”

~🚨👑🚨~

The first thing Virgil went to investigate was the ladder.

Why, or how, had it fallen over?

On closer inspection, there appeared to be a dent on one of the legs, which was frankly impossible as both Remy and Emile had confirmed it was new.

He stood it up and slid it under the gaping hole in the ceiling, poking his head in and coughing, though a lot less than he expected. After blinking away the tears in his eyes, they focused in a tiny screwdriver lying in the vent.

Theory confirmed; this was how they got in.

Sliding the evidence into his hoodie pocket he stepped down, moving the ladder to the side and out the way just as Terrence emerged from the back room, notebook in hand. Seconds later, Joan also returned, this time from outside. They rubbed their hands together.

“What have we got then?”

Terrence spoke up first.

“To start, it’s a lot tidier in there than it is out here, so it’s obvious that whatever chaos broke out, broke out in here. The circuits connecting the main power system to the alarms had been disabled from the inside. This means we have no CCTV of the situation, which is a shame. Whoever it was knew what they were doing.”

The two listeners nodded, taking in the information.

“One of them must have disabled the alarms while the other lockpicked the till.” Joan piped up, holding out a bent hairpin for them to see. “They seemed to be in a rush, as there is still a couple of notes scattered on the floor by the till, and the fact that they smashed an entire front store window proves they needed a quick getaway. Or they like being dramatic.” Virgil shrugged at the last sentence. He began to feel nervous when the spotlight was on him to give his evidence. He really didn’t want to get anything wrong, but… There’s no harm in trying.

“They came in through the ceiling vent cause I found a screwdriver up there.” He pulled out said object to show, just in case. “Guess they took the nails with them.”

The other two officers nodded.

“Something, or someone, also dented the ladder, causing it to knock over.” Virgil furrowed his eyebrows, brain working overtime.

“And that stool over there,” he continued, pointing behind Joan to a three legged stool on it’s side. “Was probably either used or also knocked over during the operation. There was dust up in the vents, but definitely not as much as there should be, so they crawled in through there. That's how they got in without being detected.”

When he’d finished, he breathed a silent sigh of relief, visibly relaxing.

“I’ve got an idea” Joan started once again. “Let’s make a hypothesis.”


	4. Hypothesis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hypothesis  
> (noun)  
> A supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bibbidy bobbidy boo-ya this took a looooong time!  
> My fingers hurt ;-;  
> Also don't mind me posting this at 2am, I'm... bored?

_"You ready, Prince?" Logic glanced behind him at his lover, who handed him a screwdriver with a determined nod. He took it gratefully, making quick work of the four screws that held the vent cover in place and handing both back to Prince. He slipped out of the ceiling and landed silently on the floor below, Prince following him soon after._

_They'd officially infiltrated the Pet Shop._

_Immediately they got to work, Logic disabling the alarms in the back room and Prince heading to the front. Inserting a pin into the lock, he ripped the till open and ruthlessly shoved the money inside into a satchel. Logic then appeared with a smirk on his face; Prince took the hood off his head and pulled the scarf down from around his face, also smirking._

_"Cameras disabled?"_

_"Indeed."_

_"Good. Get the ladder."_

~~~

“You think they were gonna use the ladder to go back the way they came?” Joan leaned against the counter, already invested in the story.

“It makes sense,” Terrence answered, “they’d wanna cause as little disturbance as possible. I mean, smashing a window isn’t exactly…” he thought about his words. “Subtle.”

“And it’s gonna be _pretty hard_ to crawl through a vent carrying a Papillon, despite how small they are.” Virgil stood the ladder back up with the dent facing the other two officers as he spoke. “Plus, I doubt Patton would just go without a fight.”

He looked thoughtful for a second, then went back to his serious expression.

“Did Remy or Emile say why Patton is being kept here, instead of at their house?”

“Remy’s apartment doesn’t allow dogs, so when Emile moved in he didn’t want to get rid of him so he stays here.” Joan replied, flicking through their notes. The emo glanced between Joan’s notebook and the ladder, pieces slowly coming together and forming a story. Maybe not entirely accurate, a story nonetheless.

“They were making noise while they were talking and stuff, so…”

~~~

_That's when the dog woke._

_It was slow at first, neither noticing the other. Until Prince noticed two glowing eyes from a blue and yellow dog bed._

_"The dog's awake."_

~~~

“Ok, so we’re pretty sure Logince took Patton, but we’re not entirely sure why they did.”

“Elementary, my dear Terrence, I’m sure Virgil has an answer for that, too.”

“Well…”

~~~

_Patton growled, recognising that these two didn't belong, and backed up further into the wall. The thieves shared a knowing look._

_"Get it."_

_They instantly sprung into action; Prince dived for Patton and Logic grasped the ladder from the back room, propping it beneath the hole they came from._

_Meanwhile, Prince was struggling to keep Patton under control in his arms, the small dog twisting violently in his arms and occasionally yapping too._

_They have to shut him up or he’d alert someone nearby._

_The barks got louder._

_Prince tried to get his left hand around the Papillon’s muzzle, said Papillon clamping his teeth around the criminal’s fingers. He bit back a yelp when he saw blood, flinging the dog from his grip._

~~~

Both men had varying degrees of shock on their face.

“Y-You don’t think-” Terrence stammered, while Joan remained lost for words. The junior officer had a similar grimace, but continued anyway.

~~~

_Patton flew several feet before he collided with the metal ladder, it toppling down with him. The collision created a mighty crash that would have been impossible not to notice from outside._

_“Shit, shit, shit, shit!” Logic muttered as he picked up the satchel that Prince had dropped in the ruckus. Both watched as Patton twitched, opening his bright but glazed eyes and observed Logince’s panicked state._

_“What do we do now? Someone’s bound to arrive soon if they haven’t already called the police!” Prince waved his hands in the air dramatically. Logic only smirked._

_“Relax, get that stool over there.” He pointed to the stool next to the till, which had a leather jacket on top. “Oh, and give me that jacket.”_

_His lover fetched the items without question._

_“Good,” he sneered, wrapping up the still dazed dog in the jacket. “Now smash the window.”_

_Both winced at the shattering of glass, but Prince swiftly got back to work, using his arm to remove any leftover glass from the frame. Patton started growling again until Logic squeezed him slightly, and the sounds turned from growls to whimpers to silence._

~~~

“After that, they made their way into the night minutes before Remy arrived back at the shop.” Virgil concluded, tucking both hands into his hoodie in embarrassment. A ‘woah’ was all that came from Joan, while Terrence appeared to be writing his entire story in his notebook.

“So Patton noticed Logince as a threat and tried to call them out?” Terrence twisted his pencil around his fingers. “That didn’t work very well, I suppose…”

Joan finally stood up from leaning, heading towards the front door. “With this in mind we’d better get back and report before getting forensics onsite.”

Terrence soon followed, with Virgil not far behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, dear Virgil, there's a lot more evidence than you think...


	5. Change Of View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, back at Logince HQ...
> 
> (Also known as the abandoned warehouse everyone seems to have forgotten about at the edge of the city)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV change hooray ^w^
> 
> I am SO SORRY this took so long! School started again and homework and just general life got in the way so I hope this makes up for it? Posting will become significantly more sporadic now as I can't stay up until 4am writing anymore. ;-;  
> Please don't be mad at me-

"Ow!"

"Will you shut it?! It's one little bite, but can still get infected so we need to clean it."

"Is the alcohol really necessary?!"

"Yes. Now shut up."

Roman Król snatched the Vodka from Logan Sovereign’s hands and took a swig, cringing at the taste. Logan only looked on in disappointment before snatching it back and switching it with a torn piece of cloth from one of his old shirts. He carefully wrapped Roman's hand, noting that he needed to go out and get proper bandages, ignoring the protests from said man.

Once that was done, Logan knelt beside the table the two had just been using, and pulled out a small, rusted key. He shoved it into a jagged hole on the inside of the nearest leg and twisted. It gave out a satisfying click; Logan then took the key out, along with the table leg, putting it aside. He repeated with the leg next to it, except instead of taking it out, he pushed it towards the gap where the other leg would be. Inside the floor was something that looked similar to a claw, and the end of the second leg fitted directly in it. Pulling the makeshift bar opened a hole in the floor, like a trapdoor. About two and a half metres deep and about one and a half metres wide, it was created over the seven years him and Roman had been together to be a safe for the valuables they "borrowed".

At that moment, Roman reentered the room from wherever he’d been and put a hand on Logan’s shoulder, kissing his cheek. The other blushed but quickly composed himself, turning to his partner.

“We ran out of bandages after our… last incident, so I’ll need to go out and get more.” The american started, stepping away from Roman to sit on the edge of the safe. He slipped over the edge before gently moving some empty boxes to find their latest haul, of approximately £1,585, and taking £50 out for supplies.

Roman pulled him up with his good hand and put the money in Logan’s satchel while the owner closed up the safe once again.

“How much is there?”

Logan took one last glance at the table as he walked over, taking Roman’s hand in his own.

“We have last night’s, and about ten percent of the previous month.” he started, but paused when muffled barking could be heard from one of the garage-style rooms that were open. “But with… _that_ too, not enough to last until next month.”

Both men wore varying degrees of concern. There was a reason they only struck once a month and only Logan ever left HQ; it was so the risk of either of them getting caught never increased for any reason. The last time they tried to strike more than once didn’t go so well; Roman was almost caught, and Logan...

Shivering, the older of the two instinctively rubbed his left arm, luckily not being able to feel the marks thanks to his navy jumper, while Roman gazed at it with slight guilt.

More barking shook the pair from their thoughts, Logan reverting back to his usual stern expression.

“What do we do with it, exactly?” Roman asked, “We’ve gotta calm it down before people hear.”

“First of all,” Logan began to shut the main door to the warehouse, sealing off any light that remained from the moon. This triggered the interior lights to come to life, flickering in age.

“First of all, ‘it’ is a ‘he’ and his name is Patton. Second, I suggest we keep ahold of him until next month, when we will return him.”

“And what? Let him track us down?! He knows what we look like! He knows where we live!”

“Not to mention he now knows our scent-”

Roman cut him off with a glare. “How do you even know his name anyway?”

“Oh… I may have been introduced to him by Remy...”

“Man, I feel cheated. You guys seem to do everything together-”

“Fuck off.”

By now the criminals had moved to a side room, previously used for storage, which they used as a bedroom. There were two mattresses; one on the floor and one on an old bed frame. They took turns sleeping on the more comfortable bed and occasionally trying to share it during the winter. Apart from that, there was a single shelf on the wall, a bedside table and a couple of boxes.

Except for a medium-sized wooden crate in the middle of the room.

Which was shaking. And barking.

“Ok Mądrala,” The 21 year old put his hands on his hips in a childish manner, “what’s your big idea for Patton then?”

“Easy,” Logan replied as he carried a blanket and pillow out the room, kissing the other on the cheek as he went past. “You take care of him.”

“Wha-” Roman kept stuttering for a few seconds, his face growing redder by the second. “Y-you- why me?”

“Also easy; he knows me, he doesn’t know you. As long as he doesn’t see me, it’ll be just like getting a new dog.”

“...”

“Goodnight Roman.”

“Night Lo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I'd need to create an extremely complicated diagram for how their safe works but I tried-
> 
> Lemme know if you need more clarification or just questions in general about the AU would be nice! :)


	6. It's really chapter 5 1/2...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman's first birthday with someone who cares
> 
> AKA fluff with a bit of angst thrown in because why not :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROMAN!!  
> Also happy Pride Month! <3  
> Have a filler chapter you guys ^w^

_(6 ½ years earlier…)_

 

“Wake up, Roman!”

Roman jolted awake at his name, flinging the blanket off his body as he sat up.

“What is it Lo- Huh?” He spotted Logan perched on the end of the mattress holding a plastic tray with a smile on his face. Roman chuckled slightly.

“What’s that on your face? I’ve never seen that before.”

Logan glared, but the smile remained.

“Shut up. I made you breakfast.” The logical one moved further up the bed and handed the tray to Roman. On it was a fried egg, some beans, and a plate of toast with jam spread over it.

“You used the last of the Crofters on this?” The now-15-year-old began to push the plate back. “It’s yours, Lo; we made a deal-”

Logan stopped his progress with a hand, sighing at how clueless the other was being. “And it’s my job to look after you, even at my own expenses. Besides, it’s your day today.”

“Mhm.” Roman mumbled through the toast, swallowing hastily. “But you’re barely a year older than me! I can look after myself…” he grumbled towards the end.

Roman moved the tray to the side and threw off the blanket, sliding out of bed. He beckoned for Logan to stand up too and he did with a roll of his chocolate brown eyes. He gazed into the younger’s green ones, wondering how they still seemed to sparkle with positivity and joy despite the tough life they’d been forced to take.

How he wished he still had that energy.

Logan shook his head, not wishing to dwell on reality and instead listen to his best friend’s rambling.

Roman had a hand to his forehead, like a salute, and kept tapping it against his forehead and Logan’s.

“See? I’m basically the same height as you now!”

It was true. Logan stopped growing when he was about 14, being only five foot, while Roman still seemed to be growing and was probably going to overtake him soon.

Hopefully he won’t make too many short jokes.

Logan sighed. “That you are, you little bratty baby.”

Roman gasped. “Rude!”

He slapped the older lightly on the arm. “You take that back, calculator watch!”

Logan only rolled his eyes, adjusting the navy jumper he was currently wearing.

“Never. You know it’s true, and I know you like the attention.”

The younger crossed his arms and huffed, puffing his cheeks out and trying to look angry to cover up the faint blush Logan could see on his face. “Meanie.”

Then his expression softened, warmth radiating from his face that Logan could almost feel.

“...Thanks, Nerd. For the toast.”

Logan returned the smile. “You’re most welcome, Prep. Happy birthday.” he began walking away, probably to wash some clothes or find a place for their next ‘mission’.

“Wait.” Roman said suddenly, startling him. He turned to face the younger. “What is it, Roman?”

When he turned, Roman was in a thinking pose for a couple of seconds, before he pointed an accusatory finger in Logan’s direction.

“Have you eaten yet?”

He paused. Should he lie?

After some deliberation, he replied.

“... Yes, I have.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't related to the previous chapter, nor the chapters onwards.  
> Just a bit of backstory to show how long the two lovebirds have been together <3


	7. One Angry Doggo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some person said that bonding is the first thing you should do with a new dog, so that's what Roman's doing.  
> Just try and stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter for this one but the next one will be longer :D

“Ow!”

Roman yelped when, as soon as he lifted the lid of the crate, Patton jumped out and clamped his teeth around his already injured hand.

“ Pierdolić-”

Wincing, he tried to pry the small dog off with his other hand and succeeded. Patton continued to thrash, however, and Roman was surprised at the amount of energy this tiny dog has.

“Look, Patton,” he started, getting said dog’s attention. “If you stop wriggling around so much I’ll put you down, ok?”

He tried to use his gentlest voice, both to calm Patton down and that Logan was asleep in the next room, and it seemed to work. Patton’s growling died down and was replaced with whimpering that made the human’s heart melt.

“Awww, good boy,” Roman cooed, gently placing Patton on the ground in front of him, “there you go buddy.”

Patton instantly backed away, a growl rising in his throat. Now the human could get a good look at the dog he’d (accidently) stolen.

Patton had mostly white coloured fur, with patches of light brown on his body and most of his face. His tail, chest and ears had extra fluff to it, which had gotten dirty during his time in the warehouse. Sharp, pearly white teeth and large brown eyes bared up at the human.

Roman really wished he had the ability to Google how to calm down an angry dog, but alas, his lifestyle meant he couldn't get a phone that could track his every move.

They shuffled away from each other.

“Look, uh, Padre…” the Papillon continued to glare but made no move to attack him again, so Roman to the opportunity to let his aching knees rest and sit down, cross-legged. He held his hands out to try and show he wasn’t a threat.

“You don't have to like us. Just… Tolerate us. Only for a month, and then you can go back…”

His happy attitude slowly drizzled away. “Great, right?” he added, his smile falling. “Great to be able to go back home, where you belong.” Roman instinctively began to curl into himself as he spiraled into troubled thoughts.

“Not being ignored for the first eleven years of your life and then kicked out into a country you know barely anything about because you spent the whole time inside your house. Then being forced to work for… People I’d rather not talk about. N-Not that I’m jealous or anything…” he gave a half laugh, half sob, but no tears came.

A whimper came from over near Patton’s spot by the crate. Roman glanced up, a single tear managing to escape his eyes and slide down his face.

“It’s ok, Pat. I’m fine.” he sniffled.

Roman got his emotions under control with deep breaths, then looked up at the dog still sitting there

“How ‘bout we start over?” Roman held out a hand. “ Dzień dobry, my name is Roman Król!”

Patton tilted his head.

“That means hello in Polish!” Roman clarified with rejuvenated joy, but careful to keep his voice down. He held his hand out further and Patton took a cautious step forward, nose working overtime; Roman grinning at every step. He slowly crept forward until his nose and the human’s fingers were practically touching, but a sneeze sent Patton scampering behind the crate to safety.

“Shit, sorry Pat! It’s just a sneeze! Nothing to worry about, hehe…” Roman rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, before he tried to encourage Patton to come out again with little success.

It was getting into early morning, and eventually, after lots of trial and error, the human passed out from exhaustion.

~~~

When Logan woke up several hours later, he quickly got dressed into his daytime disguise; black shirt, a blue tie and glasses, and moved to the bedroom and cracked open the door gently.

He was not surprised to see his boyfriend asleep on the mattress, chest rising and falling steadily.

But he was surprised about the small, furry shape rising and falling with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah if you weren't aware before, Roman's Polish ^w^


	8. Newcomers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Logan goes on a shopping trip...
> 
> Oh, and meets Virgil. That's the more important part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok but at the time of writing this, this story has gotten over 400 hits, and 60 kudos?! Like??? WHAT???????  
> 60 people, completely random people.  
> We don't know each other (and probably never will) but you have still read this weird crap that I threw together, and actually LIKE IT?!?!?  
> Holy shit. You guys are awesome  
> Just know that I appreciate every one of you. That every notification I get for comments and kudos, even if you don't have an account and is just a nameless guest, make me internally squeal and automatically bring a smile to my face.  
> I love all you guys, gals and non binary pals! <3

When Logan pulled up outside the supermarket, he wasn't surprised to see police tape surrounding the pet shop on the other side of the road, police dotted here and there. His eyes caught sight of Remy, chatting casually to his husband and someone else he didn't recognise, who seemed to be avoiding talking with everyone else. Logan slid effortlessly out the car and locked it, adjusting his tie as he stepped through the automatic doors, noting the newcomer eyeing him with orbs filled with suspicion.

~~~

Virgil stayed out of the conversation between Remy, Emile and Terrence, preferring to watch from afar. Joan was somewhere inside the pet shop with the leader of forensics; another non-binary by the name of Talyn, if he remembered correctly. They had come earlier in the morning to search for any sign that might lead to the identity of the thieves, if there was any at all. According to Terrence, the way to tell if an incident was Logince or someone else was to look at the amount of genetic evidence left behind.

Logince left none.

It was like they didn’t exist.

“Ghosts…” the teen muttered to himself, repeating the evidence they found in his head.

Ladder dent; caused by Patton, so there wouldn’t be any prints there.

Maybe there would be something on the screwdriver? Assuming they didn’t mean to leave it there.

Eventually, Joan reemerged from the shop and joined the rest of them, with them forcing Virgil to join in with the conversation.

Him being busy thinking and not listening, he was the first to notice the navy blue car pull up in one of the vacant spaces outside the supermarket. He nudged Emile gently and gestured his head towards the newcomer.

“Who’s that?”

“Hm?” All four individuals turned their heads in the direction Virgil gestured. “Oh, that’s Logan’s car.”

The teen noticed that it was at least ten seconds after parking that a figure actually got out of the vehicle. It was hard to tell what he looked like from so far away. “Logan?”

“Logan Sovereign. He’s a good friend of mine; sometimes helps out with caring for the animals.” Remy piped up.

“Hm.”

He watched him advance toward the automatic doors and head inside, noting the newcomer eyeing him with orbs filled with apprehension.

~~~

About ten minutes later, Logan re-emerged, carrier bag in one hand and a slip of paper in the other. He was always one to write a list when he went shopping; the main reason he was the one who did it in the first place.

His gaze switched between the list and the contents of the bag, double checking that he got everything they needed.

Carbs? Check.

Fruit and veg? Check.

Meat? Check.

Extra meat for Patton? Check.

Bandages for Roman?

... Logan almost considered letting him suffer as payback for last weeks prank, but countered that he would never hear the end of his partner's complaining. Check.

Putting the bag in the backseat, Logan once again caught the stranger's eye, who was still conversing with the two shop owners and police officer, but now there was one more person, Joan, he thought, standing beside the young adult with a notebook out.

They must be taking this break in seriously if they're getting the head of police involved.

Shit.

_Jesus, Roman, did you really have to steal a dog?_

For a few seconds he considered just leaving, but knew it would throw immediate suspicion on him, so he relocked the car door and went over to greet them at the police tape.

Despite having Roman as a boyfriend, Logan wasn't stupid enough to try and cross it; he was in too much trouble with them already... Not that they knew that.

"So what about the- oh hey Lo! How you doing?" Remy greeted as soon as he saw Logan heading their way.

"Salutations, Remy. I am doing well, but what happened here?"

_Yes, you don't know what happened last night._

"Oh yeah, let me explain."

One by one, Remy, Emile, Joan, Terrence and the stranger ducked under the tape and shook Logan's hand in greeting, save for Remy, who gave him awkward finger guns while he rolled his eyes.

"Firstly, lemme introduce the newest recruit to the police department!" The shop owner almost yelled, gesturing to the shortest of the group despite being a good inch taller than Logan himself. Logan gave a small smile.

"Salutations, I'm Logan."

"Virgil."

"Say, how old are you?"

"Nineteen." Virgil glared slightly. "You?"

"Twenty-three." He replied, if not a bit reluctantly.

_Dear Newton, the newest recruit is still a teen!_

They continued staring at each other, trying to work each other out, and Remy seemed to notice the tension for he cleared his throat.

"So Lo, the pet shop was broken into last night..."

Logan faked a look of concern, turning away from Virgil.

"That is unfortunate. Was anything stolen?”

“All the money in the till for starters.”

Logan tilted his head. “You don’t appear to be that concerned about it.”

Remy shook his head. “That’s not even the worst part.”

“Uh huh?”

_TheytookPattontheytookPattontheytookPatton-_

“They took Patton.”

_Act surprised._

Logan’s eyes widened a little. “Why would they take Patton?”

Everyone shrugged. “I dunno, Lo. Money? Spite? Who knows?”

Emile gave a sad smile as his husband rubbed his back comfortingly.

“Can you help look for him?”

“Well, I’m busy tonight, but maybe later in the week I can help you search for him.” Logan reasoned, adjusting his glasses.

“Oh, ok...”

Suddenly, the youngest member, Virgil, spoke up; a firm look on his face.

“You got a girlfriend then?”

Logan had to backtrack a little.

“Wh- Uh, no. I’m gay.”

He jotted something down on his paper before glancing back up again.

“A boyfriend then?”

“No, I live alone. For now anyway.”

“Where do you live?”

“At the edge of town.”

Virgil wrote something on his notepad without breaking eye contact this time.

“Do you work?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

Logan raised an eyebrow.

“Out of town. I also help at the shop.”

“Why?”

Logan had to blink

“What do you mean ‘why’?”

“Why do you work out of town? Surely there are jobs in the city.”

“Not for me, no.”

“What do you do?”

“I’d prefer not to say.”

“Why not?” Virgil moved closer, staring icily down the shorter man. “Is something you’re ashamed of? Something _illegal_?” The detective’s voice grew quieter and quieter until it was barely a whisper right in Logan’s ear, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He scoffed. “I assure you Virgil, nothing I have ever done has been anywhere near against the law.”

Virgil only scowled in response before marching away towards the empty shop window.

Everyone else had backed off, not wanting to get in the way of Virgil’s confrontation. Now they were coming back, seemingly sensing the interrogation was at an end.

“Sorry Logan. Guess I still need to get him in line!” Emile elbowed Logan in the arm, and Logan rolled his chocolate coloured eyes back.

“It’s fine. Nothing I’m not used to.”

Emile blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

_Shit, make something up!_

“Ex-boyfriend.”

The shop owners shared a look.

"Unfortunately, I must be getting home now," Logan turned to go back to his car. "If you're done questioning me, Virgil?" He half-shouted, glaring over his shoulder at said male.

"Very." Virgil replied, glaring back.

"I will see you around at a later date then, Remy. Good luck in finding Patton."

As the group got out of earshot, Logan sighed, releasing the tension in his muscles from keeping up his serious demeanour, thoughts reeling.

If Virgil is only a teenager, then he must obviously be an intelligent kid.

One intelligent enough that, with too many mistakes, could land not only himself, but also Roman, behind bars.

He'd have to be careful.

~~~

As the mysterious Logan gradually walked out of earshot, everyone else began to head back inside. Virgil huffed, not satisfied with the answers he gave. He almost began following him to his car when a hand was placed on his shoulder.

“Somethin’ bothering you, little guy?” Remy came up behind the teen, ruffling his hair again.

Virgil blushed slightly under his bangs and enjoyed the feeling until the hand was taken away, Remy letting out a tiny sigh.

“Yes. _He’s_ bothering me.” He straightened his back and adjusted his tie, one dark green eye and one brown eye following the car as it disappeared. “Something about him is not right.”

“Well what about him in particular don’t you like?”

The junior detective turned to face him.

“N- It’s not that I don’t like him! It’s just- Nothing he says seems to be the truth. It’s complicated…”

Remy gave him a small pat on the shoulder, grinning, before walking away.

“Whine over it later, Grapehead. First we need to see if Talyn found anything!”

And with that, Virgil was alone.

Nothing about this man made any sense.

Gay, but lives alone.

Won’t tell what he does for a job, and lives on the outskirts of the city.

His glasses didn’t have lenses in them, but he could see perfectly fine.

Everything about this ‘Logan Sovereign’ was too suspicious.

He doubted if Logan was even his real name.

For Virgil, it won’t matter how it takes for him to work out what Logan is hiding.

He’d have to watch out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *insert Virgil doing the "you better watch out" vine to Logan*


	9. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Talyn has joined the party*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, but I now have another AU that I'll be updating too! (if you wanna check it out)  
> Back into the swing of things!

“Oh hey guys!” A person in white overalls and dyed pink and blue hair welcomed the group over to the counter, where the till had been replaced by a laptop, with some sort of small box connected to it. One by one they all gave them a hug (except Virgil).

“You must be Wayland.” The non-binary held out a hand and Virgil shook it firmly.

“And you must be Talyn.”

“You’d be correct!” Talyn smirked and raised a coloured eyebrow. “Joan has told me a lot about you.”

Virgil also raised an eyebrow, this time in surprise. “Have they?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the head of police, who waved back. “Is that in a good way, or…?”

“Mostly good things,” Talyn crossed their arms and leaned on the counter. “I heard you and Logan got off to a good start.”

Virgil rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. “Oh, yeah… That…”

“It’s ok; not everyone gets along with him.” They pulled the teen by his jacket closer to them and put a hand on the top of his arm.

“Just between you and me, he can be a bit of a smartass.”

Virgil let a smile creep onto his lips.

They separated when the others came over, Remy now donning Emile's beige cardigan around his shoulders and his shades perched in his hair.

“Have you got anything, Talyn?” he questioned, and Talyn rubbed their hands together.

“Actually, I do.”

“Well, I hope it’s something _useful_ , anyway. We don’t know yet.” They stopped momentarily before starting again. They gestured to a smidge of red on the box.

“Wait, is that blood?!” Joan reached out to touch the box until Talyn slapped their hand away, but nodded.

“It’s almost done processing, you impatient bratty baby! All we can do is wait.” And with that, the group dispersed, Virgil staying next to the computer with Talyn.

“And don’t TOUCH ANYTHING!” They yelled at everyone else, with the most enthusiastic response being a “Yeah, whatever.” from Joan. Talyn only sighed and pinched the bridge of their nose.

“Honestly, it’s like dealing with fucking four year-olds...”

Meanwhile, Virgil drifted into daydream mode, with his elbows on the counter, staring at nothing as he thought and rethought over various topics.

_Talyn found some blood that we failed to notice. But where was it then? We looked everywhere! God, I’m so disappointed in myself. Dad would be disappointed too, I can almost feel it. Although, he was already disappointed when I decided to join the police. To be honest he isn’t the… Best man ever. But everyone I’ve met in this city has been so friendly to me! Well, except Logan, I still don’t like him. Joan, Talyn, Terrence, Valerie, Emile, Remy… Oh man, Remy… I can feel my face heating up just thinking about him. Shame he’s taken; he’s probably too old for me anyway. I sound so weird talking about him like that-_

“You want something, Virge?”

“Hm?” Virgil glanced up as he stood again. “Oh, yeah-”

The emo suddenly had a hard time getting any words out of his throat and suddenly found the ground a lot more interesting.

“How... H- How do you know the blood isn't…” Virgil gulped. “Patton's?”

Talyn recognised the quiver in his voice and gave a sympathetic smile.

“I assure you, it isn’t. That test has already been done.”

“Where’d you find it?”

“The blood?” Talyn stuck their tongue out in thought. “There were traces on the glass from the window outside.”

Virgil had to do a double-take. “Wait really?”

“Yeah. I don’t know why, but it appears somebody used their own body as a battering ram, heh.” The non-binary added, shrugging. Virgil went back to leaning on the counter, stroking his chin.

“So the stool wasn’t used to smash the window…”

Talyn typed something into the computer, it beeping in return.

“Good news! Only a few more minutes until it’s-” but they were cut off by Remy’s yell.

“Emile, this isn’t pointless-”

Emile threw his hands in the air as he turned to face his husband, every body part trembling.

“But what if it is? What if it’s like every other time? Logince attacks, the police try to find evidence but there is none, and Logince gets away with it. AGAIN.”

“Babe, please…” Remy brought the distressed owner into a hug, and gave him a peck on the cheek as he rubbed his back affectionately. “Calm down.”

Emile buried his head in Remy’s shoulder, tears staining the cardigan wrapped around the other’s neck.

“I- I’m sorry. I just- Patton…” One whimpered, with the occasional hiccup.

“I know, I know… Come ‘ere, babes.” The other whispered into Emile’s ear, rocking gently from left to right.

Suddenly, a ding sounded through the room.

Everyone stopped.

“We have a match.” was all Talyn said.

“Wait, really?!” Joan cried, coming up next to the other non-binary and looking over their shoulder. “Oh my fuck…”

Virgil stood to the other side of Talyn and peered at the screen. There was no picture, but a set of fingerprints and a name.

 

 

> [Roman Król]

 

Finally, this was the lead they’d been hoping for this whole time.

Virgil couldn’t help but smile.

The hunt was about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 should be out soon as it's already halfway done!  
> We'll be switching to a more... Unusual point of view.


	10. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Warning! Not actually friends*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Da da da DA!  
> Character unlock: Patton
> 
> (It's supposed to be Zelda music-)

Patton yawned as he woke. He sat up, but didn't move in order to let his eyes adjust to the low light.

_ Wait... Where am I? _

As he examined the high ceilings, cold atmosphere, and the slightly shivering human below him, it suddenly hit the dog where he was.

_ Oh yeah, the humans who took me. I recognised one of them last night. He's the one that helps out Remy at home… Logan, I think. _

Patton jumped off of the human's chest and stretched.

_ Then there's this human that I don't recognise, in looks or scent. Despite dognapping me, he immediately tries to become friends... _

Patton turned to face the sleeping human. ' _ Why? _ '

He tilted his head, puzzled.

_ Not to mention he's already had an anxiety attack in front of me. Something about his childhood, I guess. _

His ears and eyes went down automatically as he recalled the night before.

_ What was his name? Ramen? _

Patton admired the human's content face, no longer shivering. The freckles, the messy brown hair...

_ And his weird hand. It's very shiny, but I like it. _

He froze when the human groaned, seemingly in discomfort, and rubbed at his left hand, which Patton hadn't noticed had poorly-wrapped cloth around the palm.

_ Oh. That was where I bit him. Twice. _  He realised, sniffing.  _ Poor human. I feel kinda bad- _

Suddenly, he sneezed, scaring himself and making the human turn over.

_ Oof. Sorry Ramen, but there's too much dust in here. I'm going outside. _

With that he pushed open the door to the bedroom to find an exit.

~~~

After about ten minutes of searching Patton found out that Logan left a while ago and forgot to close the main entrance to the warehouse. He squeezed under the gap, taking a deep breath of fresh air. Nothing smelt familiar, which made Patton feel a little on edge, but he shook it off, telling himself that he’d find someone to help him soon.

His nose worked in overtime to find anything that smelt familiar, until a trace caught his attention.

_ Remy? _  he questioned as he followed the scent, turning a corner into a dimly lit alleyway with his nose to the ground. It lead into a giant green dumpster, almost full.

_ Ew, that smells horrible. But there’s something in there that smells like Rem and I wanna find out what! _

The Papillon scrabbled onto the lid of a bin next to the dumpster. He put his paws on the edge and peered in, seeing nothing at first. But then his eyes caught onto something slightly buried under the usual rubbish. He got a hold of it with his sharp teeth and dragged out a black mass onto the ground below. It was made of smooth, almost shiny material, with several scents all over it, including his own and… Ramen’s?

Remy’s jacket.

_ How’d it get all the way out here? _

He was distracted by new scents wafting from further into the alley, noting the smell of three individuals getting closer.

“Well, what do we have here?” came a sudden voice from the darkness.

“Seems like someone’s lost!” Said another as the voices were soon joined by footsteps.

“Tryin’ to steal from our territory are you, Mutt?” A third snarled as they stepped into the light.

Patton tried to run, but his feet stayed planted to the floor, ears pushed back and tail between his legs. He let a growl slip, but the strangers paid no attention.

"Everything here is ours, Mutt…" The first one, who seemed to be the leader, said, with Patton letting out another growl at the nickname.

"Including you."

They took a step forward.

_ Yep. Time to go! _

Then he turned tail and ran, the others right behind him. He twisted and turned through the streets, so before long there was silence.

_ That group smelt bad. _

Now to figure out where he was.

_ I don't care if that Ramen guy kidnapped me, I prefer him over those stinky... Garbage people. _

Exhausted, Patton sat down with his tongue lolling. He closed his eyes, enjoying the breeze on his face along with the sunrise.

A pair of hands grabbed him from behind.


	11. Didn't We Have A Dog Last Night?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman managed to keep Patton for a good... 3 hours before he lost him.
> 
> Good job Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a shorter chapter while I write the script for chapter 12!

"-oman..."

Roman's dream faded. It was a nice dream; something about his memories of playing make-believe with Thomas in the street outside his house.

_Y'know... Before my life went to shit..._

"Roman."

He turned over, facing away from the doorway, and covered his ears, flinching as he realised his makeshift bandage had fallen off during the night. 

"ROMAN!"

"Gah!" Said man's eyes flew open when someone yelled his name. He groaned and held his head when he sat up too quickly.

"What is it Lo? How early is it?"

He looked up at Logan standing in the doorway in his black polo, blue tie and glasses, arms crossed as he checked his watch.

"It's well past midday, Dear. But that's not why I woke you."

Roman stood up and stretched, joints clicking satisfyingly, but he stopped when he noticed the noise. Or rather, lack of.

"Hey, where's Pat?"

"That is why I woke you. He's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

The older pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing loudly.

"The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr Brain has long since departed." He muttered, seeing it go unheard by Roman, who stood there, puzzled. He sighed again.

"It means exactly what you think it means, Roman; Patton left while you were asleep!"

"Ah, well... That's not good."

Roman rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"No, it's not good, dumbass."

"Ow!" Roman cries when Logan slapped him on the back of his head.

"Now I have to go pack the shopping away before the meat warms up. You," he added, pointing. "Don't go anywhere. I will search for him later."

"But-"

Roman started, but was cut off by his boyfriend walking away.

" _ALONE_. We are too far away from the pet shop for Patton to smell his way back, so he can't have gone far."

Logan left the room, taking off his tie with a huff. Roman also huffed, crossing his arms and pouting.

"I'm a grown man, Logan, I can do what I want! Besides, if Pat can't go far, then why can't I look for him?"

A plan formed; Roman would sneak out, find Patton before it gets dark and boom, Logan wouldn't even know he'd left!

"How hard could it be?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is so short, but the next chapter is gonna be... Interesting ;)
> 
> Also if someone knows the Blackadder reference I made I will love you forever-


	12. Dark and Stormy Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil invites a stranger into his house.
> 
> Totally normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm halfway through this chapter but it's already four whole pages long so I thought it would be better if I split it in two, so at least you guys have something to read while I finish this monster of text lol

Turns out it’s really hard.

Roman must have been searching for Patton for a good three hours…

And nothing.

Nothing except some very disturbing people who were laughing as they snuck into what Roman could only assume was their place of residence. Either that or they were breaking into an empty house; he wasn’t going to judge.

Alarms in the distance gave Roman an idea about who they could be.

_Another gang? How many times must we drive people out of our territory before they get the message?_

They slammed the door behind them and Roman breathed a sigh of relief.

_I don’t want to deal with them right now. I have better things to do anyway._

He silently cursed when he felt rain splash on his forehead, and soon more followed.

More rain and more cursing.

Eventually, the criminal had made his way to an empty road, houses lining each side, but only a few lights were on. It was chucking it down. Roman's hoodie was soaked through to the skin (he couldn't be bothered to put his hood up), with still no sign of the missing dog.

Despite it getting later in the year, he still had to hide out of the glare of the streetlights, instead sticking to back gardens and alleys between the houses. It was in one such alleyway where Roman heard scrabbling from amongst a pile of rubbish.

"Padre?"

He almost screeched when a skinny tabby cat jumped out at him, hissed, then ran away.

He mentally cursed again once he tasted metallic from biting the side of his mouth to stop himself from making noise.

_“Patton can’t smell his way back.” he said! “He can’t have gone far.” he said! This is stupid; Logan was the one who left the warehouse door open in the first place._

He was too busy with his own thoughts that he never noticed the figure who stopped walking to stand behind him.

“Uh, excuse me, who’s there?”

Roman froze.

_Pierdolić._

“Uh… No one?” Roman turned around as quietly as possible while also realising his response sounded more like a question than an answer. He analyzed the human in front of him; they seemed male, and was slightly shorter than himself, probably late teens, early twenties. He wore a hoodie with the hood pulled over his head, and jeans, but that was all Roman could tell from the limited view of the figure he got thanks to the streetlights. Despite the pouring rain, they didn’t seem bothered and instead stood there threateningly.

“Show yourself!” the silhouette whisper-yelled, slowly taking a hand out of his hoodie and putting it on his hip.

Roman put his hands up in mock surrender as he stepped closer.

“Okay, okay!”

He slowly made his way forward, the figure stepping back until they were both standing underneath the streetlight.

“Uh… Hi?”

Roman could now tell who he was looking at was definitely an emo.

Stitched hoodie, long fringe, ripped jeans, and a band t-shirt on underneath. His face was indistinguishable due to the hood.

"What are you doing down there?" Emo asked, raising an eyebrow.

_Oh shoot, what was I doing in an alleyway?_

"Oh- I was… Looking for my, uh, my jacket! Yeah, I lost it." Roman really hoped the man couldn't see the fidgeting of his fingers, or the stuttering in his voice. He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed, but then wiped his hand on his hoodie when all he could feel was soaking wet hair.

"Ew…"

Emo sniggered quietly. After he stopped, his eyes moved to the darkness above, letting rain land in his purple fringe overhanging one of his gleaming green eyes. There was black eye-shadow under his eyes (for _some_ reason), and had quite pale skin.

Roman didn't quite understand why, but there was something about this man that was familiar; he felt drawn to this guy, and wanted to get to know him more.

His name would be a good place to start.

"What's your, uh, what's your name?"

_Roman, stop bloody stuttering!_

"Virgil." The other man, Virgil, answered without looking down, but then glanced back at Roman. His eye-shadow was now in streaks on his cheeks, yet he wore a calm smile.

"You?"

Roman shook his head with a laugh, spraying water droplets everywhere.

"I'm wet."

"Well then, wet, why don't you come to my house and dry yourself off? You look like you could do with a shower." Virgil stated.

Roman opened his mouth, but closed it again.

_Is-is Virgil inviting me to his house?_

He turned away from the emo and faced the rest of the alley.

_What do I do? Logan will be pissed if he finds out I'm gone…_

After a few seconds, Roman turned back, expecting Virgil to be gone, but surprisingly he was still there, waiting patiently.

_But then again, I could just say I was searching for Patton the whole time…_

"Sure. Lead the way, Emo Nightmare!"

"Please never call me that again."

 

* * *

 

"Here we are!" Virgil exclaimed after nine minutes of ideally walking in the rain, mostly in comfortable silence. The front garden was nothing special; grass on either side of the stone path, a doormat that said 'Welcome to the Upside Down' (whatever that meant, Roman didn't know) and a little evergreen tree in a pot next to the door. However, there was a large Magnolia tree to the right of the front door, in front of the living room window. Science was one of the only things he had an extended knowledge about, and that was only because of Logan.

He pulled a key out of his back pocket and slotted it into the keyhole. The door opened into a covered porch, with grey tiles and cobwebs in the furthest corners.

Virgil opened the second door, which was already unlocked, and stepped aside to let Roman in first. He merely nodded and let the emo get to the front door, who locked it swiftly.

There was a door immediately to Roman's right, which he assumed was the living room, another door in front of him, and grey carpeted stairs to the left of it going up to the second floor. There was also a bookshelf to his left, where Virgil dumped the keys into a wooden pot on the top shelf. He threw his arms in the air as he went into the living room.

"What do you think?"

"It's cozy," The criminal started, but paused when his eyes caught the various different posters along the walls. Some were old film posters that he recognised, like _Day Of The Triffids_ and _H.G Wells' The Time Machine_ , while some were modern band posters like the one on Virgil's shirt. "And very emo. Hm, didn't see that coming."

"Haha, watch it." Virgil pointed a finger at the other male before smiling again.

"Well, make yourself at home!"

But Roman quickly reminded him of his current attire by looking down at his damp self. A flash of realisation crossed Virgil's face before he rushed past Roman and opened the second door next to the stairs.

A moment later Virgil re-emerged with a dark purple towel and threw it at the other's face. Roman caught it with ease.

"Okay, bathroom is the first door up the stairs, and the spare bedroom is at the end of the hall. There should be some spare clothes in the bottom draw." The house owner explained while Roman began to dry his hair with the towel. He muttered a quick thank you and headed upstairs.

 

* * *

 

Roman sighed, content, as he stepped out of the shower and turned it off. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a shower with actual hot water; probably not since he had first moved to Sanderson City, and even then the water was more lukewarm that hot. He dried himself off with a dark grey towel, then donned the clothes he'd found in the spare bedroom. There wasn't much that was any other colour except black and grey, so Roman had to deal with wearing ash grey jeans, a black t-shirt and a black and grey checkered hoodie instead.

_Eh, I've worn worse._

It was as the criminal was slipping the t-shirt over his head that he caught his body in the mirror. Or rather, his scars.

Even though it had only been a few days, Roman had forgotten about all the tiny cuts he'd gotten all over his arms and chest.

_I guess that's what you get for crashing through a window…_

Most of them were tiny so there was little to no sign of them ever being there, other than tiny lines. But one extra-large piece of glass had reopened an old wound on his left shoulder. It was on the verge of being fully healed, but still caused Roman to grit his teeth if he put too much pressure anywhere near the mark, which he did.

This whole situation was honestly terrifying.

For years, Roman had lived with the confidence that Logan had everything under control. For the last week, Logan had been stressed and snapping at him for almost anything. He insisted that it wasn't his fault, but Roman couldn't help but feel like he was responsible. He was the reckless, impulsive, emotional one after all.

Without him, Logan probably would have got a real job, would have real problems, _a real boyfriend-_

A sharp knock thankfully prevented Roman from spiralling again. His head snapped towards the door and he suddenly remembered he was shirtless, quickly slipping it on, and blinked away the salty liquid in the corners of his eyes.

"Hey, you still alive in there Chandler? Didn't drink any bleach, did you?"

"... What?"

Virgil's sigh made its way through the door.

"Y'know, Heather Chandler? From _Heather_ s?"

"I waste my best material on you." Followed after Roman's continued silence. He thought the young man on the other side of the door was being serious until he laughed, so he laughed too.

"I'm gonna put a film on, wanna join me?"

"Uh, yeah. I'll be down in a minute." Roman answered after a short pause.

"Cool beans!"

Then quiet.

Roman breathed a quiet sigh of relief before unlocking the bathroom door, putting the hoodie on, and heading downstairs.

He arrived to no one in the living room, but there was noise coming from the kitchen, which was through a pair of double internal doors to his left. 

There was a large grey corner sofa in the middle of the room against the wall, which was white, much like the rest of the house. A TV was right next Roman on his right, on top of a cabinet, with another cabinet in the other corner behind the sofa, on the other side of the window. Several bookshelves lined the remaining walls to his left. Roman ran a finger across some of the shelves as he went past, seeing DVDs, CDs and old-school records of various genres, none of which he could name. There was also a coffee table on top of a grey fuzzy rug, covered in little things like old magazines, highlighters and a white ceramic llama with a fake plant coming out of it’s back.

“So you and Barack O-Llama have met? Sweet,” Virgil’s voice came from the direction of the kitchen, and Roman glanced up to see him standing in the doorway with two glasses; one in each hand. “He likes you already.”

Before Roman could question anything about... the llama, Virgil placed the glasses on the coffee table and went back to the kitchen, only to come back with two large bowls instead. He put them on the coffee table as well before maneuvering to the TV.

“I forgot I had that hoodie.” The teen said suddenly, catching the other man by surprise. “I haven’t worn it in years.”

Roman bit his lip in embarrassment. “Yeah, well… It’s nice.”

His emerald eyes drifted to the screen, where Virgil had put on one of the DVDs from the shelf. There was a girl in a purple and pink dress, with long blonde hair. Like, _really long._ To her left was a man with brown hair and beard holding a frying pan(?), and on her right was a white horse holding a sword in it’s mouth. On top of the girl’s head was a chameleon who looked strangely intimidating. The title read _Tangled_.

_This film looks really weird… And like it’s made for seven-year-olds._

Virgil apparently caught the strange look Roman was giving the DVD because he stood up and (literally) leaped onto the far end of the sofa, gripping the remote in his right hand.

“ _What?_ Let me be an individual!”

Roman only shrugged before he joined Virgil, sitting in the corner as the film began to play.

He liked Virgil. A lot. They were going to get along just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need more Virgil making pop culture references that Roman doesn't understand-


	13. Who Are You, Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loose lips sink ships...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \--> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMMbeaJV4HM <\--
> 
> Also TW: Short and minor anxiety attack!  
> Also also I'm so sorry this took 8 weeks lmao, I will explain more in the endnote :3  
> I was gonna post this on my birthday (the 16th) but I didn't finish it whoops-

The film had just ended, the credits were rolling and the snack bowls were empty. Virgil was slouched against the armrest, having not eaten much of the snacks or paid much attention as he'd watched Tangled about three million times before. Frozen was still his favourite, but Tangled was a close second. He especially loved the theories on how Rapunzel and Elsa are related, but hey, that's just a theory…

He was also pretty gay for Hans.

The idea of someone who acted so nice and… Well,  _ prince-like _ was secretly evil? Awesome.

_ I mean, not with the high probability of death at the same time… Not awesome. _

Virgil glanced over at the other male (Virgil had dubbed him ‘Princey’ due to his apparent fascination with Disney), who had slowly edged closer to the TV until he was practically right in front of the screen on the opposite end of the sofa, gazing at the pictures in awe, green eyes sparkling.

_ It’s like he’s never watched a Disney movie in his life… _

Honestly, this guy seemed strangely familiar. It wasn’t a feeling Virgil could pinpoint exactly; he didn’t recognise him from anywhere, and yet it felt like he should. There was something about his child-like grin, his scattered freckles, his fluffy red-brown hair that reminded Virgil of himself when he was younger. He could tell the other had dyed it some time ago; the very tips were red, but it had faded out from wash after wash. It was probably only a couple of weeks old, maybe even a month depending on how much he washed. That would be embarrassing to ask about, so he kept quiet.

_ Weird, how little I know about this stranger, but my gut tells me I can trust him, even with my life? That’s crossing the line a bit, gut. Now you’re just being dramatic. I don’t even know this dude’s name! I… Should probably ask that. _

Princey didn’t move when Virgil got up to put the empty bowls in the kitchen. He didn’t feel like washing up today. That’s a problem for future Virgil to worry about.

When he came back, however, the man had moved back into his original space with a thoughtful look on his face. Virgil settled back on the sofa.

“Hey-”

“Y’know, Rapunzel kinda reminds me of myself in a way.” Princey interrupted, oblivious to what he just did. Internally shrugging but interested, Virgil sat up.

“How?”

The stranger sighed quietly, fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket.

“I was basically never allowed to leave my house because of my father. So I… Had to sneak out while he was away or asleep in order to play with my best, and only friend, Thomas.”

Virgil shifted so he was in the seat next to him, and gently rested a hand on his knee.

“That sucks, dude. Why did he do that?”

“I-I have no idea.” he answered. “He was a businessman for a… Bad company, and then he forced me to work there too.”

“Oof.”

“Thankfully, I did run away once I was old enough.”

"But what about Thomas?" Virgil asked after a couple of seconds. Princey didn't reply for a few more, turning away from him so the junior detective couldn't see his face.

"One night, I-I made a mistake, and- father found out. He said that I would never see Thomas again. I guess he talked to Thomas' parents, because… I went to where we'd always secretly play, three days later, b-but he didn't show up. He never showed up again. I… I haven't seen him since."

It was at that point that Virgil noticed the shiny tears rolling down Princey’s cheeks; he kept his hands in the sleeves of the grey hoodie as he desperately tried to wipe the liquid away. Virgil bit his lip, unsure of what to do with this now crying adult man.

“How old were you?”

Princey paused for a bit, thinking while also rubbing his green eyes.

“It was about seven years ago, so I was fourteen.”

Virgil raised an eyebrow and let his mouth hang open slightly in shock. No one should be running around on the streets, let alone as young as a teenager.

“ _ Fourteen? _ Did your mum know about any of this?”

Princey sighed into his jacket.

“She, uh… She died not long after I was born, before me and father moved here to Sanderson City.”

Virgil couldn’t help but internally smirk.

“So what about you?”

“Basically the same as you, Princey.” Virgil replied nonchalantly.

Princey raised an eyebrow at the nickname but didn’t say anything, so Virgil continued.

“Dad was always disappointed in me, no matter what I did, so eventually I stopped caring. He was always at work or in his office anyway. Mum wasn’t around, so I was basically free to do whatever I wanted. Which included stealing dad’s secret stash of money and running away with it.”

The stranger threw his head back and let out a laugh, eyes closed.

“Heh, three cheers to shitty dads, amiright?”

“Tell me about it.” Virgil laughed, mostly to himself. “I think I gave him the biggest ‘fuck you’ ever by joining the police. That’ll teach him.”

Virgil couldn’t help but notice Princey suddenly stopped laughing and his shoulders tense up at his comment. Did he offend him somehow? Was it the f word?

“Hey, is everything okay?”

He asked, gently putting a hand on the other man’s back. He flinched, but relaxed not long after.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine.”

 Princey furrowed his brows and glanced at Virgil with a tinge of curiosity while he crossed his legs.

“Just, if you’re part of the police, then why did you invite a man older than you into your house? I’m curious.”

“Eh, you seem harmless enough.” Virgil answered, shrugging lazily. Princey let out a chuckle.

“You do realise that is  _ terrible _ logic, right?”

“Whatever…”

They fell into a comfortable silence. Well, Virgil felt comfortable, but by the tiny fidgets from Princey, he clearly didn’t feel the same. The credits finished and the main menu reappeared, showing Rapunzel, Flynn, Maximus and Pascal again. Virgil got up, stretching his cramped legs and making the joints pop before he took the empty drink glasses and put them on the kitchen side. He returned to see Princey staring at the TV again, mumbling to himself.

“I wonder if I have a Maximus equivalent…?”

Virgil smiled.

“What makes you say that?” He replied as he made his way over to the TV.

“See, I’m Rapunzel, Logan would be Eugene, Thomas would be Pascal-”

Princey began to list off the characters using his fingers but Virgil cut him off.

“Wait- Did you say Logan?”

Princey seemed momentarily confused and tilted his head slightly, like a puppy.

“Yeah. Why?”

“As in, Logan Sovereign?” Virgil questioned, taking the disk out of the DVD player.

Princey nodded.

“He’s your boyfriend?”

“Well, yes.”

Virgil faced the TV again, his mind swiftly going into overdrive because  _ oh my God Logan Sovereign is a criminal- Nope, deep breaths, Virgil. Act natural. _

“Huh.” He replied, putting the disk back into the box; his mind flashing back to the conversation he’d had with Logan less than two days ago.

 

_ “You got a girlfriend then?” _

_ Logan had to backtrack a little. _

_ “Wh- Uh, no. I’m gay.” _

_ He jotted something down on his paper before glancing up again. _

_ “A boyfriend then?” _

_ “No, I live alone.” _

 

_ So he  _ **_was_ ** _ lying. And now the one guy I thought I could trust… Fucking hell. _

He came to a hasty conclusion.

_ I need to get away from him. _

The teen placed the DVD on the shelf next to the TV before he stood up again and smiled, although this time it was forced.

“This makes me feel really stupid, but I completely forgot to ask your name!” He gave a short laugh at the same time he picked up his phone from the coffee table and slipped it into his back pocket. “How silly of me…!”

Princey didn’t seem to notice, only grinning back.

_ He looks so innocent... _

“Oh, yeah. I’m, uh… I’m Roman.” The man- Roman- hesitated before he answered, but still gave a small smile.

_ Yep, not innocent! _

“Will you excuse me for a moment?”

Virgil opened the door to the hallway, but Roman stood up, both his hands tucked into the hoodie pockets, unseen. Not where Virgil particularly wanted them to be.

“Where are you going?” Roman’s smile fell slightly, but sounded genuinely curious.

Virgil was tempted to not answer, to instead just run straight out the door and never look back. But he knew that would throw immediate suspicion on himself, and the last thing he wanted was to be chased by a man who was most likely faster (and fitter) than him.

No, he’d need an actual excuse. A place to hide and call someone.

“Bathroom.”

The detective didn’t really wait for a response, but was still glad when he heard Roman’s “Oh, okay.” from halfway up the stairs.

As soon as Virgil staggered into the bathroom, he turned 180 degrees and locked the door. He sat on the edge of the bathtub to steady his body, breathing ragged, for he feared he might faint due to lack of oxygen if he stayed upright anymore.

_ Shit shit shitshitshitshit- _

He was going into an anxiety attack.

Virgil’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, as well as his head. He was constantly clenching and unclenching his hands, nails digging into his palms or the side of the bath. A sick feeling, like nausea, began to rise up from his stomach to his chest to his throat, which tightened while excess saliva swamped his mouth. Sweat stung his eyes, and his vision began to unfocus, so he squinted at his surroundings to ground himself.

_ O-Okay, five things I can see, _

“S-Sink, toilet, t-towels, toothb-brush, dead pla-nt.”

The throbbing of his head faded.

_ Four things I can feel, _

“The floor, the b-bath, my jeans, and m-my fringe.”

His throat opened.

_ Three things I can hear, _

“My heartbeat, dripping f-rom the tap, th-the rain outside.”

His shaking quietened down.

_ Two things I can smell, _

“Lemon sherbet scented soap, and bathroom cleaner.”

His muscles relaxed.

_ And one good thing about myself… _

“Well, I guess I do know who Logince is…”

His vision refocused.

“Holy shit I know who Logince is!”

The panicked male took his phone out of his pocket, fumbling with the password before going into his contacts.

He scrolled down for several seconds until his thumb hovered over ‘Emergencies Only’, the number for the reception’s phone over at the police station. Virgil glanced at the door, green and brown eyes filled with conflicting emotions, but scrolled a little bit more, eventually tapping the call button for the contact named ‘Ratatouille’. It rung two times before a tired voice came through.

[ _ Wassup, Grapehead? It’s pretty late to be calling, isn’t it? _ ]

A sigh of relief escaped the teen’s body.

“Hey, Rem! No time to explain, but- uh, is Emile with you?”

[ _ Yeah, but he's asleep. Why do you ask? _ ]

Virgil could feel the panic rising in his chest again, so he took a deep breath before he spoke.

_ It’s better to just go straight (ha, ‘straight’) to the point. _

“Cool, uh… Roman’s in my house.”

Through the speaker, the detective heard rustling from the other side of the line, like Remy had gotten up from his seat.

[ _ Wait, what? Król? Did he break in? _ ]

Virgil stood up and leaned against the sink and tucked his left hand in his hoodie, aware that any loud noise might cause the criminal to come up and ask questions.

“Heh, no… I sorta invited him in…?”

Silence on both ends.

[ _ Wh- Y'know what, I'm not gonna question this right now. _ ]

“Please don’t.” Virgil replied meekly, trying to move on the conversation.

Remy sighed, and Virgil cast his eyes to the phone screen.

[ _ So a dangerous, wanted criminal is currently sitting in your living room, and you called me? _ ]

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know who to call!”

[ _ I don’t know- the police? _ ]

Remy replied sarcastically.

[ _ Surely you have Joan’s number by now. _ ]

“You’re-” Virgil’s mind rushed to come up with a good excuse and he started fiddling with his hoodie sleeves again. How was he supposed to explain that he preferred his company to Joan’s? How half of his brain had been constantly yelling at him to hang up the phone, go downstairs and continue to make friends with Roman? Definitely not to his crush, let alone the head of the police department. As much as he liked Roman, he did not want to be fired only a week after the interview. “You're closer.”

He heard the man on the other side sigh again, and faint thumping, like footsteps going up the stairs.

[ _ Guess you’re right. Where are you right now? _ ]

“Upstairs. In the bathroom.”

[ _ Did you lock the door? _ ]

The teen nodded, then remembered that Remy couldn’t see him.

“Yeah.”

He checked the lock again. Just in case.

[ _ Good. I’ll call this in while I’m on my way.  _ _ Don’t move _ _ , you understand me? _ ]

“Loud and clear." Virgil replied after saying the address. "By the way, the spare front door key is under the pot by the door.”

[ _ Thanks. See ya, Virge. _ ]

And with that, the call ended.

Virgil was unsure how long it would take for  his knight in shining armour Remy to get to his house.

After he slipped his phone into his back pocket, he sat down on the toilet seat awkwardly. His eyes darted from the mirror to the door, his feet and then back to the door again.

Did it even matter if the door is locked? What if Roman could just rip the door off it’s hinges? If he could rip a door off it’s hinges, then what could he do to him?

Virgil paused, not wanting to fall into an anxiety attack while someone else is in the house. To distract himself, he stood up again and began to pace, raking a hand through his hair several times.

“Come on, Wayland, keep it together-”

Virgil was forced to stop mid-step when two knocks came through the door, his heterochromatic eyes snapped towards the sound, wishing it was who he hoped it was.

“Hey, you- uh- You doin’ alright in there?”

It was Roman.

_ Fuck. _

“... Y-Yeah.”

He silently cursed at the shakiness and uncertainty in his tone, so he took a deep breath and faced his reflection in the mirror.

“You’ve been in there for quite a while…”

Virgil couldn’t tell if he was imagining it, or whether Roman’s voice sounded genuinely concerned.

_ He’s faking it. You know this. Keep playing up. _

“I know, I was just… Redoing my make-up. I accidentally splashed water on my face when I washed my hands. Not to mention the rain outside.” Virgil replied, picking up a box of soap and opening it, giving the impression he was doing something, and not just stalling for Remy.

Roman gasped through the door.

“Ahh, I saw that beautiful eyeshadow under the streetlight when we met-"

The floorboards creaked as the criminal bounced on his heels in excitement.

“Do you think you can teach me how to put on make-up? I’ve always wanted to try it!”

Virgil gave a tiny smile to his reflection, noting how Roman's voice reminded him of an ecstatic child on their birthday, but shook his head.

“Of course. After I’m done, though.”

“Thank you, Virgil!”

The emo put his ear to the wood, picking up the faint thumps of Roman making his way back to the living room. He leaned against it and slid to the floor, breathing a heavy sigh of relief.

_ Now I just need to wait… _

It wasn’t long, four minutes(?) before Virgil’s ears caught the sound of the front door being unlocked, and he pressed his ear to the door again. His heart rate spiked once Remy’s footsteps receded into the living room, and the voices began, so he stayed quiet in order to hear what was being said.

“Hey there.”

“Who are you?” Roman’s tone immediately got defensive.

“Virgil’s roommate, Remy. Nice to meetcha.”

Virgil guessed they shook hands.

“You don’t happen to know anything about a leather jacket, do you? I lost mine after my shop got broken into.”

He stood up again to stop his legs going to sleep, smirking.

_ Smooth. _

“Y-Your shop?” Roman questioned, barely audible.

“Did I stutter?” Remy replied almost immediately. “I own the pet shop. Do you like dogs?” 

“Er, I-I guess?”

“Funny, someone stole my husband’s dog the same night.”

Virgil heard Remy’s shoes on the wooden floor.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you…”

A pause.

“Roman?”

Whatever was said after that, if anything, was too quiet for Virgil to catch.

At first, nothing happened, then there was a thump, then a grunt, then another thump followed by crashing, and then back to silence.

Virgil began to turn the lock, but almost jumped at the rapid footsteps that went from the living room to the hallway. His heartbeat skyrocketed when they began heading up the stairs, but they stopped and headed out the front door instead, into the distance.

He let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding and finished unlocking the door, anxiety swelling up at the lack of noise coming from the living room. He crept down the stairs, taking note of both doors being wide open, so he closed them before moving on.

He peeked around the white door, seeing no movement.

“Remy?”

Then he spotted a figure sprawled face-down across the carpet, with a tiny puddle of blood next to the face. Virgil froze until he heard groans.

“Remy?!” The teen rushed to the injured man’s side, adrenaline kicking in. He was glad to see no stab or bullet wounds, so he helped Remy sit up against the sofa when his eyes opened. “Holy shit, what happened?”

The older man clutched his left arm, which hung limply in his lap, but was still smiled weakly.

“You didn’t tell me that Roman has a metal hand, Virgil. You gotta-” Remy suddenly burst into a coughing fit. Virgil’s anxiety spiked again when more blood dripped from the shop owner’s mouth after he calmed down. “Gotta give me all the details before I start a fight with somebody.”

_ Wait, what…? So that’s why Roman kept his hands up his sleeves. Why hadn’t I noticed sooner? Stupid Virgil, stupid! _

He proceeded to run a shaky hand through his purple hair while he paced.

“Oh fuck, I am so sorry, I swear I didn’t know I-”

“Hey, hey, hey, relax! I’ll live, got it?” Remy held up a hand in a reassuring manner. “It’s just a broken arm and cut lip. Probably some bruising here and there.”

Virgil hooked his arm around the shop owner to help him to the sofa. He settled down with another groan. Virgil was confused as to why his crush had sustained so many injuries, but was somehow smiling.

"Roman got some punches in, but I got some of my own. He won’t be using his metal hand for a while~”

Virgil raised an eyebrow, still unsure.

“Why’s that?”

Remy pointed at the corner of the room, by the bookshelves. Under a small wooden table was a black, rectangular-shaped object. Virgil picked it up.

“Ta-da!” The injured man gestured to the object happily, and Virgil passed it from hand to hand, eyeing it warily.

“A taser?”

“Yep! Got him in the hand as he ran like a coward. Fried the circuits or... something.” Remy shrugged with one arm and got up from the sofa, the younger about to protest but he waved him off. He made his way to the window, but stopped and turned towards Virgil again. “So guess where we’re going next?"

Virgil, confused and still worried about the way Remy’s left arm hung limply by his side, tilted his head.

“Where?”

“Well, the only place in the city a robotic hand could have come from!”

Cogs spun in Virgil’s brain for a few seconds while his eyebrows furrowed. Then it clicked.

"Sanderson Sciences." He gasped. Remy smirked back.

He let out a laugh he couldn’t contain. They actually had a lead on the criminals who had been terrorising this city for almost seven years! Just because he accidentally invited one of them into his house!

"Oh my God, Rem, you’re so smart. I could kiss you!" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, and Virgil began to backtrack, blushing furiously. “Uh- Ahaha… Not literally, but- Uh-”

"Virge?”

"Yeah?” He answered with much uncertainty. Remy only had a sympathetic smile on his face.

“You are a gay disaster.”

* * *

He stood over a wooden table covered in paper and maps. An old and torn sheet creased under his fingertips. The name at the bottom of the letter was smudged from the pouring rain, but Logan knew exactly what it said. This was the third note they’d sent here; it couldn’t be a coincidence anymore. They knew he was here, but how? Did they want him to come back?  _ No, _ he thought, carefully beginning to tear the paper in half.  _ That place is only filled with hate and betrayal. _

“Logan!”

Roman’s voice carried through the warehouse with a sense of urgency. Logan shook his head, glad to finally have a distraction from his past acquaintances as he slid the paper into a draw and locked it away with the rest of them. He should probably tell Roman about them- they were partners after all, they weren't supposed to hide anything from each other- but not now. His love clearly sounded distressed from the tone of voice alone, so his problems came first. Always.

“Well, it’s about time. Where-” The older started with a tone of impatience he immediately regretted. However, he was cut off when he caught Roman’s new attire. He was wearing a black and grey checkered hoodie, whose baggy sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, dark jeans and his trainers, all soaked. His right hand hung limply by his side, there were several cuts on his face, a black eye, and bruising all the way up his arm.

All other words trailed off when they embraced. Roman began to squeeze him so tightly Logan swore his ribs would fracture, but he soon let go and stared down at him with green eyes close to tears.

“We-We’ve got a problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #RemyFinallyGotToUseHisTaserThankGod-  
> Please don't kill me after this OwO  
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> Now I know the last thing you want after this heckkin monster of a chapter(8+ pages on Google Docs) is a long endnote, but hear me out; this is kinda important.  
> I'm 16 now, and I'm in my last year of secondary school, so I'm heading into GCSE season. This means I will be spending hours revising and doing homework to make sure I live up to everyone's expectations and get high grades lol  
> I will have little to no time to write as I also don't want to stay up until 2am like I did during the summer, so I have decided that, for now, Partners In Crime will be on temporary hiatus. This means I will not be posting any chapters for any of my stories until after mock exams have finished, which will be close to December. I am planning on stockpiling chapters, if I can, for PIC and my Space AU, as well as going back to Supernatural Sides (which I haven't touched in almost a year lol). I also have a parody story I'm was going to post for my birthday but I accidentally deleted it lol, but I will write it again (If you follow my twitter you will be aware of what it is #shamelessplug UwU).  
> Anyway, that's it (I think), but if I need to tell you guys anything else I will post it in a separate chapter. Thanks for being so patient with me! Love you all <3

**Author's Note:**

> We swore that death would do us part,  
> They'll call our crimes a work of art~


End file.
